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A Farewell to Kings
Studio album by Rush
Released	August 29, 1977 (1977-08-29)
Recorded	June–July 1977
Studio	Rockfield (Rockfield, Wales)
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	37:13
Label	Anthem
Producer	Rush Terry Brown
Rush chronology
All the World's a Stage (1976) A Farewell to Kings (1977) Hemispheres (1978)
Singles from A Farewell to Kings
"Closer to the Heart" Released: November 1977 "Cinderella Man" Released: January 1978
Alternative cover
40th anniversary reissue

A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush. It was released in August 1977 as their first album put out on their independent label Anthem Records. The album reached No. 11 in Canada and marked the band's growing international fanbase, becoming their first Top 40 album in the US and UK.

After reaching a critical and commercial peak with 2112 and touring the album, Rush decided to record a follow-up outside of their home country for the first time, settling in Rockfield Studios in Wales. A Farewell to Kings is noted for the band expanding their sound with increased use of synthesizers and each member playing more instruments than before, and for having a mix of long and short tracks such as the 11-minute "Xanadu" and the under 3-minute "Closer to the Heart", both of which became live favourites. The closing "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" ends with a cliff-hanger which concludes on the next album, Hemispheres.

A Farewell to Kings received a generally positive reception from critics. "Closer to the Heart" was released as the album's first single, which reached No. 36 in the UK. Rush toured in support of the album from August 1977 to May 1978. The tour saw the band headline major venues across Canada and play in the UK.

Background and recording

In June 1977, Rush ended their tour supporting their breakthrough album 2112 and subsequent live release, All the World's a Stage. The tour culminated in the band's first European dates with seven shows in England and one in Sweden, which attracted widespread praise from fans and critics. It was around this time when Rush decided against their usual post-tour break to continue momentum and produce a follow-up record, but wanted to record in a location other than Toronto, Canada. Following what drummer and lyricist Neil Peart described as an "extremely difficult" search for a studio that suited the band, their longtime producer and engineer Terry Brown discovered Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, Wales. His enthusiasm at the idea of recording at the facility helped convince the band to work there. The album was recorded in three weeks; apart from early ideas for "Closer to the Heart", the album was put together at Rockfield. Peart later wrote that the seclusion and mellow atmosphere at the studio created a productive environment.

A Farewell to Kings marked a development in the group's sound, with greater use of synthesizers and each member playing additional instruments. The trio had looked back on 2112 and felt their sound was too confined, so they decided to feature new and different instruments that they were comfortable enough with on their new material. Peart added orchestra bells, tubular bells, chimes, and other percussion to his drum kit; bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee added a Rickenbacker 4080 double neck bass and Minimoog to his arsenal; and guitarist Alex Lifeson plays new guitar models and a Moog Taurus bass pedal synthesizer which Lee also used. After recording was complete, the album was mixed at Advision Studios in London. Lee was particularly excited at visiting the studio as it was where Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer had recorded hit albums.

In 2017, Lee considered the album as a particularly important one in regard to his musical development. "I learned a lot; I was learning a lot. I was always challenged and I was very stimulated and the end result was A Farewell to Kings, so I guess it was a pivotal record in that regard."

Songs

Side one

"A Farewell to Kings" features an acoustic guitar introduction from Lifeson that was recorded outside the studio building as he walked around a stereo microphone, with Lee outside with him playing a Minimoog. Its title originated from an idea Peart had a year prior to working on the album; he recalled Lee and Rush manager Ray Danniels pushing him to work the phrase into a complete lyric, and was subsequently used as the album's title. Although Lee considered the track difficult to reproduce on stage it became a group favourite, as Peart wrote in the album's tour book: "It seems to encapsulate everything that we want Rush to represent."

The 11-minute "Xanadu" opens with a five-minute instrumental section that includes birds chirping that was also recorded outside the studio. It is a fantasy-inspired song that Peart described at the time as "the most complex and multi-textured piece we have ever attempted". The opening line is taken from Kubla Khan by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Initially Peart had an idea based on the 1941 drama film Citizen Kane before he found Coleridge's poem, the lines of which "etched like a burning image in my head", although Lee had the film's opening montage in mind when creating the soundscape in its introduction. Rush had performed the song during their UK tour, and were well rehearsed with it by the time they entered Rockfield. After playing an initial run-through of the track to gauge the balance and tone of the microphones in the recording room, the group performed it a second time once the equipment was set up, which was used on the album. On some tours Lifeson and Lee played a double neck guitar and bass, respectively, when performing the song live, which became an iconic look for the band. The pair brought back the double necked guitars for their final R40 Live Tour.

Side two

"Closer to the Heart" was the first song that the band worked on for the album and for a time, was an early title for its name. Lifeson picked the song as an example of Lee devising melodic bass lines on an acoustic guitar, such as the song's opening riff, which caught his attention and asked Lee to teach it to him. It was the first Rush song in which Peart collaborated with someone on the lyrics; the title and first verse was written by Peter Talbot, a friend of the group who, in addition to being a writer, worked in the media. In regard to its meaning, Peart noted that as "A Farewell to Kings" deals with the idea of problems, "Closer to the Heart" addresses the solutions.

"Cinderella Man" is based one of Lee's favourite films, the 1936 romantic comedy drama Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and the themes that it portrays. A self-described film buff, he had secret inspirations of being a film director and realised most of them "have to be part megalomaniac, I think I sort of went off that idea." After writing the lyrics, with some assistance from Lifeson, Lee handed them to Peart who subsequently helped him "clean it up a bit." "Madrigal" is a love ballad. The drums were recorded in an echo room.

The album closes with "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage", a science-fiction song that tells the story of an unnamed explorer who travels to the centre of a black hole named Cygnus X-1 in a spaceship, the Rocinante, believing there may be something beyond it. Upon approaching the centre the protagonist loses control of the ship and is drawn into it by the pull of gravity, its body destroyed. Peart was inspired by an article head had read in Time magazine about black holes and their origins, after which he researched on the topic further and wrote the lyrics. The Rocinante is named after the horse in Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. The group had almost the entire song arranged upon arrival at Rockfield. Lee thought the science-fiction genre presented limitless musical ideas which inspired the band to "use all your goofy, weird sounds because that's what's happening out in space." The words "To be continued" are written on the album liner notes, revealing the group's decision to conclude the story on their next record, which became the 18-minute opener "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres" on 1978's Hemispheres.

Artwork

The cover artwork was produced by longtime Rush art director and graphic artist Hugh Syme, who started on the design after the band had started to record. It features a composite photograph of puppet-looking king slumped on a throne in front of a demolished building, contrasted with the Toronto skyline in the background that depicts the city's Harbour Castle Hotel. Syme was inspired to make a composite design from album covers by Hipgnosis, of which he was a particularly big fan. A resident of the Niagara region, he had spotted a "beautiful, dilapidated" building in ruins in nearby Buffalo, New York and visited it with guitarist Josh Anderson, his bandmate in the Ian Thomas Band. The setting was used for the cover and Syme had Anderson pose as the puppet as his thin figure was ideal for the character. In post-production Syme altered the mouth, jaw, and eyes, and added the sky, smokestack and strings, plus a prosthetic to make the character appear more mechanical.

Release

A Farewell to Kings was released on August 29, 1977. In the UK, Phonogram Inc. prepared an extensive advertising campaign for the album to increase the band's profile in the territory.

In November 1977, A Farewell to Kings was one of three Rush albums to be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 500,000 copies. The others were 2112 and All the World's a Stage.

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Christgau's Record Guide	D
Classic Rock
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
PopMatters	8/10
Record Mirror
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

On release, Billboard wrote that "this trio has abated its heavy metal thunder somewhat for a lavishly orchestrated extravaganza that has a rock opera feel to it".

AllMusic's Greg Prato said that Rush "had improved their songwriting and strengthened their focus and musical approach". He took notice of the synthesizers that were creeping into the arrangements, "a direction the band would continue to pursue on future releases". He said "Xanadu" "remains an outstanding accomplishment all these years later".

Conversely, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave the record a D grade, panning Rush as "the most obnoxious band currently making a killing on the zonked teen circuit", comparing them to bands such as Angel, Kansas, and Uriah Heep, "with vocals revved up an octave. Or two."

In the Q & Mojo 2005 Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came in sixth in a list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".

In 2021, American funk metal band Primus embarked on their "A Tribute to Kings" Tour. At each show, Primus played their original material in the first set before covering the entire "A Farewell to Kings" album in their second set. The first leg began August 10, 2021, in Boise, Idaho, and ended October 25 in Phoenix, Arizona. The second leg began April 15, 2022, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was finished June 25, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tour

Rush toured in support of the album from August 1977 to May 1978. Early into the tour, Rush headlined a sold-out gig at the Exhibition Stadium in Toronto in August 1977 that was attended by over 22,000 people. In late 1977, tickets for a 16-date leg across the UK from February 1978 were announced which quickly sold out.

Reissues

Track listing

Original release

All lyrics are written by Neil Peart, except where noted; all music is composed by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, except where noted

40th anniversary edition (2017)

Personnel

Rush

• Geddy Lee – vocals, bass and twelve-string guitar, Minimoog, bass pedal synthesizers
• Alex Lifeson – electric and acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars, classical guitar, bass pedal synthesizers
• Neil Peart – drums, orchestra bells, wind chimes, bell tree, vibraslap, triangle, tubular bells, temple blocks

Additional personnel

• Terry Brown – spoken vocals on "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage"

Production

• Rush – production, arrangement
• Terry Brown – production, arrangement, recording engineer, mixing
• Pat Moran – recording engineer
• Declan O'Doherty – mixing assistant
• Ken Thomas – mixing assistant
• George Graves – mastering at JAMF, Toronto
• Bob Ludwig – remastering
• Brian Lee – remastering
• Yosh Inouye – cover photography
• Hugh Syme – cover artwork and graphic direction
• Roger Stowell – sleeve photograph
• Fin Costello – liner notes photograph

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "A Farewell to Kings".
2. Popoff, Martin (2020). Anthem, Rush in the 70s (1st ed.). Wymer Publishing. p. 287. ISBN 978-1-77041-520-1.
3. "Rush Concert Tour Dates Listing". www.cygnus-x1.net. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
4. "Rush Completes First U.K. Tour". RPM Weekly. July 9, 1977. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
5. ^ Peart, Neil (1977). "Rush – World Tour 77–78 – Exclusive Concert Edition – "A Condensed Rush Primer"". Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
6. ^ Harrison, Tom (September 1977). "Canada's Most Successful (And Least Recognized) Rock Band". Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
7. ^ Cohen, Scott (October 13, 1977). "The Rush Tapes, Part 1". Circus. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
8. ^ Wilding, Philip (November 14, 2017). "The real story behind how Rush made A Farewell to Kings". Louder Sound. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
9. ^ Harrigan, Brian (1982). "RUSH by Brian Harrigan". Archived from the original on January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020 – via 2112.net.
10. Blackett, Matt (2006). "Rush Beat on Different Strings". Frets. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
11. "The real story behind how Rush made A Farewell To Kings". Prog magazine. November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
12. ^ Reed, Ryan (October 10, 2020). "Rush's 'A Farewell to Kings' cover art traded England for buffalo". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
13. ^ "Allmusic review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
14. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
15. Jeffries, Neil (December 27, 2017). "Rush – A Farewell To Kings – 40th Anniversary album review". Classic Rock. Archived from the original on December 5, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
16. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
17. Thiessen, Christopher (January 16, 2018). "A Farewell To Kings". PopMatters. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
18. Cain, Barry (September 24, 1977). "Albums" (PDF). Record Mirror. p. 16. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
19. "Rush: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
20. "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. September 10, 1977. p. 60. Retrieved December 10, 2022 – via worldradiohistory.com.
21. Q Classic: Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, 2005.
22. "Watch Primus Tear Through Rush's 'A Farewell to Kings' in Its Entirety on Tribute Tour". Rolling Stone. August 11, 2021.
23. "A Farewell to Kings Tour". Archived from the original on January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
24. ""Performance's Spotlight on Rush" - Performance Weekly, October 1977". Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
25. "Rush – A Farewell To Kings (40th Anniversary) (2017, CD) - Discogs". Retrieved February 11, 2024.
26. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5446a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
27. "Dutchcharts.nl – Rush – A Farewell to Kings" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
28. "Swedishcharts.com – Rush – A Farewell to Kings". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
29. "Rush | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
30. "Rush Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
31. "Canadian album certifications – Rush – A Farewell to Kings". Music Canada.
32. "British album certifications – Rush – A Farewell to Kings". British Phonographic Industry.
33. "American album certifications – Rush – A Farewell to Kings". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• A Farewell to Kings at Discogs (list of releases)

• Rush (band) albums
• 1977 albums
• Anthem Records albums
• Atlantic Records albums
• Epic Records albums
• Mercury Records albums
• Sony Music albums
• Albums produced by Terry Brown (record producer)
• Albums recorded at Rockfield Studios